Military Experts: The drones used in the assassination

In an interview with “Al-Hadath” channel, Military experts revealed that the drone used in the assassination attempt on the Sudanese Army Commander-in-Chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, while he attending the graduation ceremony of a new batch of students from the Military Academy on Wednesday, in the military area of Gebeit, Eastern Sudan, is not a Military drone. They added that they believe the drone was launched from an area controlled by the Army.

The experts relied on the sound of the drone, which can be heard clearly in the video clips that were circulated, revealing that the drone was small, the size of filming drones, and was equipped with explosives that don’t exceed the weight of a filming camera, explaining that this type of drone is short-range, and therefore was likely launched from a nearby area within the areas controlled by the Army.

The experts put forward three hypotheses for the assassination attempt: the first hypothesis being that; the perpetrators were supporters within the Army aiming to dispose of Al-Burhan, the second hypothesis is that; it was from elements of the former regime aiming to eliminate Al-Burhan and those who refuse to negotiate with the Rapid Support Forces, especially with the expectation of the “Geneva” talks gaining approval, and the third hypothesis is; Rapid Support Forces’ sleeper cells in Army-controlled areas.

The “Gebeit” area that was attacked is located about (120) kilometers from Port Sudan -the current Capital of the de facto government- and is considered one of the most important and secure Military areas in Sudan.

Moreover, its located more than a thousand kilometers from the nearest area under the control of the Rapid Support Forces.

All of these factors contributed to increasing the mounting doubts in regards to the reasons behind the attack and understanding how it was carried out.

From a military perspective, Bashir Al-Amin Mysara, a former officer in the Sudanese Armed Forces, indicated that the “Gebeit” area where the attack took place is considered one of the areas that is easy to protect and monitor due to its geography and location in an open area.

Al-Amin Mysara told “Sky News Arabia”: “The fact that the drones were able to access the graduation ceremony site in Gebeit where the attack was carried out indicates two hypotheses; either a lack in Security and Intelligence aspects, or a certain level of negligence, especially since the visit of the Army Commander-in-Chief to any military area usually requires taking strict security measures in advance.”

Mysara went on to comment on Al-Burhan’s appearance in a field uniform that isn’t appropriate for attending the Military Academy’s graduation ceremony, as the Army Commander-in-Chief is supposed to wear an official Military Uniform, explaining that this is due to fears that Al-Burhan may be targeted by some party, or perhaps by some of the parties surrounding him.

It clearly indicates that “The current differences are creating suitable conditions for any unexpected results to occur, especially when taking into consideration the skills and experience of the Brotherhood Organization.”

Journalist Mohammed Al-Mukhtar Mohammed, who specializes in verifying information and confronting disinformation, presented three important observations that require clarification, in relation to the delay in responding to the drones’ attack, the way in which these drones were able to advance until they reached the site, in addition to the various accounts regarding the time of the attack.

According to Al-Mukhtar, there is a difference between what the Army stated about the ground defenses confronting the threat and what was documented in a widely circulated video clip, where the sound of the drone can be heard (25) second into the video, and the sound began to gradually increase until the moment of hitting the target.

Mohammed explained to “Sky News Arabia”: “whether the drone was launched from a nearby or distant place, how did it manage to reach its target ? Especially since the Gebeit area is a military area and is surrounded by a large number of security posts, in addition to the mountainous area and the fixed jamming devices present, as well as the state of readiness is at maximum levels due to the importance of the occasion.”

The third observation relates to the “Timing of the attack,” as the Army’s statement indicated that the attack took place after the graduation ceremony ended, while the video shows the attack happened during the ceremony itself.

Media and political analyst, Maher Abu Al-Jukh believes that there is a connection between the attack and the time in which it took place. He points out that the party responsible for it, regardless of its identity, aims to send a message to Al-Burhan along the lines of; “We can reach you.”

Abu Al-Jukh told “Sky News Arabia” that the timing of the incident carries an important significance related to the invitation to the “Geneva” negotiations proposed by the United States of America.

It is rather clear that if the Rapid Support Forces were responsible for the incident, they were merely trying to pressure Al-Burhan to participate in the negotiations.

If the party that carried out the operation is affiliated with the Brotherhood Organization, the message will be either to end their conflict with him by assassinating him and removing him from the scene, which allows them to introduce a new -more agreeable- figure, or at least threaten Al-Burhan.

In a related context, Al-Basha Tibeaq, Advisor to the Rapid Support Forces’ Commander, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti), shared in a post on the “X” platform that: “The assassination attempt” of Al-Burhan “comes in implementation of the threat directed at him by the Al-Bara’ ibn Malik Brigade if he agrees to send the Army delegation to the Geneva negotiations.”

Al-Bara’ ibn Malik Brigade is affiliated to the Islamic Movement in Sudan, and is participating in the ongoing war in Sudan, fighting alongside the Army.

Yasser Al-Atta, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and member of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, stated on an earlier date that there are (12) Brigades fighting alongside the Sudanese Army, including the Al-Bara’ ibn Malik Brigade.